I believe in the Judeo-Christian God, I believe Jesus was who he said he was. I believe in a real heaven and hell. I believe the devil and his angels are still active in the world. I believe through my own actions determine whether I will end up in heaven or hell, with the grace of God.
Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 9:10
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
And because of
Jesus answered, "I am the WAY and the TRUTH and the LIFE. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6 . I call myself a Follower of the Way or a Christ Seeker and consider all who believe in the Resurection of Jesus my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I believe Religion should be practiced inside of your soul not on the forum, We don't need the Controversy that follows.
Your welcome to believe what you want but I don't see the point in openly discussing something so wide for all points of view.
Ive always liked knowing theres a lot of religious people. im one of the few atheists that gives a crap, and thats just cuz i get really guilty when im mean to someone. lol. religion gives you a reason to be a good person, and without religion, our world would suck pretty badly :-\
I believe Religion should be practiced inside of your soul not on the forum, We don't need the Controversy that follows.
Your welcome to believe what you want but I don't see the point in openly discussing something so wide for all points of view.
I believe Religion should be practiced inside of your soul not on the forum, We don't need the Controversy that follows.
Your welcome to believe what you want but I don't see the point in openly discussing something so wide for all points of view.
Rum a part of being religious is saying what you believe in are there is nothing wrong with that
True but i question peoples abilities to express their opinions without making an uproar or a violent argument about it :P
Ive always liked knowing theres a lot of religious people. im one of the few atheists that gives a crap, and thats just cuz i get really guilty when im mean to someone. lol. religion gives you a reason to be a good person, and without religion, our world would suck pretty badly :-\
Thats called your moral core my friend. You feel the need to do the right thing and treat people well, and you become guilty when you fall short in that regard. Christianity and the history behind it is what explains that moral core to me. Its almost like we have a built-in desire for something more. Otherwise, we would all treat the majority of people we come in contact with like total crap. Unless we could get something out of that person, there would be zero call for us to do something for them... if not for morals.
Granted, there will always be those that use the misuse a given religion to advance their own bloody agenda. Look at the Crusades and the violence surrounding much of the existence of Islam. Its sad. But overall, religion (and especially that of the Judeo-Christian variety) has done much more to further good then ill. Examples include humanitarian aid and the medical field, but much more than those, the overall furtherance of goodwill toward others.
Here's part of the problem though. We as a people are very selfish by nature, so when we ask God for something in prayer, we only recognize him if he gives us exactly what we want. People tell me all the time "God hardly ever answers my prayers". Here's my answer to that: God ALWAYS answers prayers. But he doesn't always give the answer that we desire.
God doesn't hate you guys. Life is full of situations, both good and bad. But my faith enables me to have a positive outcome from any situation, even if I end up getting totally screwed. Trials give me a chance to learn how to act or react in a given situation, and I have the opportunity to become a better person because of it.
All you who are calling yourselves Atheists, whatever you decide on is okay. To each their own. But I want you to realize that science and Christianity DO NOT disagree. The only major disagreement between them is Macro-evolution (Darwinism) verses Micro-evolution/Creationism (Christianity). I have spent countless weeks of my life studying both Creation and Macro-evolution from a scientific standpoint, and I have to tell you all that the theory that Charles Darwin promoted has some HUGE holes in it. So huge that it would actually take far more faith for me to believe in Macro-evolution than it does for me to believe in God.
If you study Charles Darwin, you will find that he came to the same exact conclusion: There is a God, and he created the earth. Did Darwin believe as I do that God is actively involved in all of our lives? No. Did he still believe in some sort of Macro-evolution? Yes. But he flat out confessed that his findings were flawed, and that his original intent had been only to disprove the existence of God. But he realized that he couldn't. Something had to intelligently start the earth as we know it.
I'm not accusing any of you of anything. I'm not calling you stupid. I'm not even trying to convince you that I'm right and you're wrong. But what I hope that the above post does is make you guys think about it, and then research the crap out of this subject with an open mind. And if you come to the same conclusion that you already have, thats fine. But maybe you've been mislead or maybe you overlooked something in the past. Who knows?
Anyone with questions about any of this can reach me via PM.
I'm really glad everyone here's mature enough not to flame. Hard to find mature religious conversations, yo.haha yea these usually turn into massive threads of flame :D I'm proud of the maturity level here too :D
Doesn't benefit anyone to be close-minded to other people's opinions.So true. I believe what i posted near the beginning, but anything could exist. God could have created the laws of physics and left no evidence of his existence for all we know. The only thing im 100% sure about is that anything could have created us
I believe in God.
I don't look for any scientific proof of his existence because it seems that a major part of Christianity is faith. It wouldn't make sense to me if God gave anyone specific and undeniable proof. Of course, many people see love and hope and the trees and our human bodies as proof. Many do not. I don't know.
I don't pray often. I get angry. My life has been really, really difficult.
It's a struggle sometimes to believe in anything at all, let alone an "all powerful being". But I do anyway. And I work at being better. Even though things don't go my way I still know I'm working towards something better.
I just have never seen definite proof for God or definite proof to disprove him.
No matter what anyone believes I still love you guyz! :)
Nice Poe, keeping an open mind is probably the most important thing and I am glad you can use something like spirituality to get you through the day during the rougher times, I wish the best for you.
So first of all, i need to say this. please, nobody get angry or offensive in how they present their views. Dont try to make anyone mad, because you will just look like a jerk. Ive always been interested in this kind of thing, and what people believe, I personally believe in existiential nihilism, the belief that we are just another anomaly in the universe, and that human life is meaningless. However, most people believe different things. Post your views or arguments, because im very curious in what all of you believe :D
Remember, i dont want this topic closed down. BE POLITE!!!! lol
I follow existentialism but I am not a nihilist. I do not understand how life can be meaningless, can you provide some resources or insight to this belief? It does not make sense - life is what we make of it and if you want to get down to the bare basics, like some sort of biological machine, then it is the continuation of the specie - survival. Try telling your cells they serve no purpose lol, they would say "F*** you, we are just trying to survive". I would not disagree that we are an anomaly, I am not sure what the numbers are , in terms of probability and the chance of getting a planet like earth when looking at what else is out there, off the top of my head but the suitable conditions to support the evolution of life, as we know it, are very specific and we lucked out.
Well one thing ive always strongly believed is that the number 1 instinct is survival and reproduction. Look closely at anything you do. It all stems back to either survival, reproduction, or pleasure. Survival and reproduction are base instincts. With pleasure, ive always seen it like training animals. we get rewarded for doing things our body likes. I really dont have resources or anything, its just based on the proof ive seen of science and not of religion.
Why fight? Us atheists and christians aren't very different at all. Atheists only believe in one god fewer than christians do.Lawl!!! thats one of my favorite quotes evar :D
I don't think Christianity has to go against science. I love science and I think it goes hand in hand with my faith in a God.Thats one of the reasons i think anything is possible. The laws of physics do work, but god may have created them that way. For that reason, the debate between science and religion will never end. However, i have a bit of a challenge for the religious people on this thread. Can you give us proof that god exists? Science has plenty of proof. Look back on history. The church taught that the solar system revolved around earth. Men that opposed that idea were ridiculed, and even killed sometimes. Now, we know that we revolve around the sun. Science has been proven over religion in the past through proof. If someone can us proof that god exists, ill definitly start taking religion more seriously. Dont just say the bible. True, it is based on past events, but like i said before, they take a bunch of wierd occurences and coincidences and say god is responsible. Dont say the love in people, either. Some have made his argument, but you see the same thing in animals. They die for their young, or pregnant mate. They defend friends who could end up as prey otherwise. Give me some sort of proof, and i will look into it for sure.
I think a religion in which you require proof excludes faith, which is key to most religions.
Think about this. If I told you right now that there is a teapot orbiting Neptune and if you really believe you can speak to it inside your head. And if you ask it something it will do it unless it deems you unworthy of its Chai goodness. It is also a very secretive teapot and will make it's self invisible and intangible because it can. Would you believe me? If you have a fraction of an ounce of common sense you will say no.
Also, I'm really happy that this thread has gone the way it has. Mature and serious discussions vs. ridiculous name calling and such. You guys are so awesome!
That seems dumb to me. How can an "all loving god" let people in 3rd world countries who never even heard of christianity go to hell because they dont even know what christianity is? Thats extremely unfair. Thats as bad as back when the church believed only higher class people could go to heaven :/
I went to Youth Group with my friend. I tried it all out. I just didn't quite get it at all.. But even her preacher or w.e. you wanna call it, even he said "It IS only a belief." Yes, faith counts for a lot. But what if you spend so much of your time, prayers, and faith on something to later find out that there is no heaven? I'd rather just live my life, and die. As all that is suppose to happen, instead of trying to believe in something or have faith in something to possibly later to find there is no such thing and to possibly be let down...
My "mere" belief is worth more to me than anything. ;)lol why do u gotta be done? I liked your input lol ;)
p.s. I gotta be done with the thread.
Well, if you proposed this and a enormous, unknown number of humans followed and had faith in this for over 200, 000 years (archeologists numbers/science numbers), then maybe I would believe you.
Anyone can create their own God. But to have millions and millions of people believe in only one... it takes more common sense for me to say yes.
Well, if you proposed this and a enormous, unknown number of humans followed and had faith in this for over 200, 000 years (archeologists numbers/science numbers), then maybe I would believe you.
Anyone can create their own God. But to have millions and millions of people believe in only one... it takes more common sense for me to say yes.
When I read that I lost a great deal of faith in humanity.
If every single person in the world believe I was a unicorn that shat rainbows, it would not change the fact that I am not a rainbow sh*tting unicorn.
Well, if you proposed this and a enormous, unknown number of humans followed and had faith in this for over 200, 000 years (archeologists numbers/science numbers), then maybe I would believe you.
Anyone can create their own God. But to have millions and millions of people believe in only one... it takes more common sense for me to say yes.
When I read that I lost a great deal of faith in humanity.
If every single person in the world believe I was a unicorn that shat rainbows, it would not change the fact that I am not a rainbow sh*tting unicorn.
Choosing your religion based on what everybody else believes is dumb. You are supposed to find the answers yourself, not to follow the croud.
Christianity is only as big as bhuddism, islam, and other large religions. In fact, those religions have been around longer than christianity.
haha its impossible to offend me :D but what i mean is why christianity? why not another religion that stems off of judaism? If you believe judaism is right and others stem from it, why not follow judaism?Christianity is only as big as bhuddism, islam, and other large religions. In fact, those religions have been around longer than christianity.
Judaism was the first religion. Christianity comes directly from Judaism. Its the fulfillment of the Jewish faith and directly draws upon the original Jewish law.
Islam also came from Judaism. Geographical and social differences evolved Judaism into Islam, which holds Muhammad as its highest prophet.
Bhuddism was created by a Hindu man.
The bottom line is that many (not all) of the religions come back to a common point. I have a lot to say about this issue, and about which one should be regarded as the correct religion based on that common point, but I won't because I don't wish to offend.
Well the whole world wouldnt believe something like that. Hell, somewhere in the world, someone may believe that the world is flat. The whole world is never going to agree on anything. But as for the millions of people believeing one god... The whole world believes lots of different religions. Christianity is only as big as bhuddism, islam, and other large religions. In fact, those religions have been around longer than christianity. And even if the entire world was christian... Choosing your religion based on what everybody else believes is dumb. You are supposed to find the answers yourself, not to follow the croud.
Well the whole world wouldnt believe something like that. Hell, somewhere in the world, someone may believe that the world is flat. The whole world is never going to agree on anything. But as for the millions of people believeing one god... The whole world believes lots of different religions. Christianity is only as big as bhuddism, islam, and other large religions. In fact, those religions have been around longer than christianity. And even if the entire world was christian... Choosing your religion based on what everybody else believes is dumb. You are supposed to find the answers yourself, not to follow the croud.
Many kids don't get a chance to choose for themselves because their parents jam their beliefs into them before they can even understand it.
I don't have a problem with people believing in a god or the afterlife but if they ever use that as an excuse to commit atrocities, such as the crusades or 9/11 or even a single murder or attack, that's when it crosses the line.
IMHO God(Christian God), the alleged creator of the universe, bearer of all knowledge, creator of mankind, would not be so vain as to require that a person need only believe in him/her in order to get into heaven.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16
Going by this criteria Hitler has a better chance of getting into heaven than I do.
The concept of heaven was created by man in order to ease the fear of death.
everything is true and left to interpretation. its much more scientific and simple than mystical. i think everyone will be surprised how simple it all is. i would look back as far as history will allow. the people who were first here tens of thousands of years ago and look at what they say happened. what do the egyptians say. mayan. whoever. they all say we were visited. our gods came from "the heavens" this doesnt mean that the bible is not true its just who was behind it.
http://www.alien-ufo-pictures.com/ancient_aliens.html (http://www.alien-ufo-pictures.com/ancient_aliens.html)
Well the whole world wouldnt believe something like that. Hell, somewhere in the world, someone may believe that the world is flat. The whole world is never going to agree on anything. But as for the millions of people believeing one god... The whole world believes lots of different religions. Christianity is only as big as bhuddism, islam, and other large religions. In fact, those religions have been around longer than christianity. And even if the entire world was christian... Choosing your religion based on what everybody else believes is dumb. You are supposed to find the answers yourself, not to follow the croud.
Many kids don't get a chance to choose for themselves because their parents jam their beliefs into them before they can even understand it.
I don't have a problem with people believing in a god or the afterlife but if they ever use that as an excuse to commit atrocities, such as the crusades or 9/11 or even a single murder or attack, that's when it crosses the line.
IMHO God(Christian God), the alleged creator of the universe, bearer of all knowledge, creator of mankind, would not be so vain as to require that a person need only believe in him/her in order to get into heaven.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16
Going by this criteria Hitler has a better chance of getting into heaven than I do.
The concept of heaven was created by man in order to ease the fear of death.
The human brain has been estimated to contain 50–100 billion (1011) neurons, of which about 10 billion (1010) are cortical pyramidal cells. These cells pass signals to each other via as many as 1000 trillion (1015) synaptic connections.[2]sorry i feel like im about to look really stupid asking this but where did that come from? i cant see any way that was related to the conversation :-[
Ah its just something to think about, As far is how complex it is... How long would it take to evolve that puppy? :)haha ok I get it now :D billions and billions of years. Which we have had :p lol
I was raised to believe that there was only one God, and that those who did not believe would burn in hell...
Well, I guess I'll take hell, because I have too many friends of differing religions, and I feel like a hypocrite telling them that because of how they were raised and what they were told, that they are going to hell...when in fact, some of them may have the correct answer. until God calls me on the phone or appears in my car to say...HEY, This is the right way, then I have no choice but to be open minded and hope that theres a good place for everyone when we die.
Besides...
The biblical "Father" Is supposed to be a perfect Father, right? What would a perfect Father do? Punish his children for all eternity for having a disagreement with him? Expose his beloved children to the lake of fire forever because they never heard about him? (there are plenty of places who have other religions, far older than the 2000 year old christianity) Nah...it doesn't add up.
Ah its just something to think about, As far is how complex it is... How long would it take to evolve that puppy? :)haha ok I get it now :D billions and billions of years. Which we have had :p lol
But back before we had all this technology, a mutation would either cause us to be deformed (unnattractive) and we couldnt reproduce, or we wouldnt live long enough to pass on our genes. Of course, that was before pity and science :D
And if 1 good evolutionary change takes a million years or even 50,000 years, Where is our past? Why are we not flying around in spaceships already.
I am an atheist buddhist.In my opinion that is the best religeon It encouages people to be nice to everyone and every thing.
Seriously Zak? I haven't seen you around in ages, but I was wondering where you ran off to just a few days ago.
You know, that's 100% possible. From the viewpoint of seeing science as ruling the galaxy, it's more likely than an omniscient being creating the universe. Although it probably wouldn't be our galaxy, maybe just terraformed our planet or just put basic life on itSo first of all, i need to say this. please, nobody get angry or offensive in how they present their views. Dont try to make anyone mad, because you will just look like a jerk. Ive always been interested in this kind of thing, and what people believe, I personally believe in existiential nihilism, the belief that we are just another anomaly in the universe, and that human life is meaningless. However, most people believe different things. Post your views or arguments, because im very curious in what all of you believe :DI BELIEVE ALIENS CREEATED OUR GALAXY AS A TEST SUBJECT
Remember, i dont want this topic closed down. BE POLITE!!!! lol
I think it takes more faith to not believe in a greater being simply because if you believe in science you believe in multiple unknown possibilities, believe in a greater being there's only one unknown possibility. : \Everything takes faith. Knowing the sun will come up the next morning takes faith. I've always seen science as taking less faith, because we see proof of it everyday. And no matter what the subject, there will always be unknown possibilities. Even in Christianity: do you know what heaven is like? Do you know if god is going to forgive the sins you've made? A lot of these unknowns don't make too big of a difference to the big picture, but it's the same way with science. And btw, you gotta add Boobs to your nickname list ;p
I think it takes more faith to not believe in a greater being simply because if you believe in science you believe in multiple unknown possibilities, believe in a greater being there's only one unknown possibility. : \Everything takes faith. Knowing the sun will come up the next morning takes faith. I've always seen science as taking less faith, because we see proof of it everyday. And no matter what the subject, there will always be unknown possibilities. Even in Christianity: do you know what heaven is like? Do you know if god is going to forgive the sins you've made? A lot of these unknowns don't make too big of a difference to the big picture, but it's the same way with science. And btw, you gotta add Boobs to your nickname list ;p
I think everyone knows there is a God, Because its evident in the order of the universe and the need was put in us when we were created.. Why a person chooses to ignore the truth.. Well.. I have a few good theories.
Ive actually looked up a lot of these issues with evolution, and while a lot dont make sense, a lot are also explainable. And as for intelligent design, that is explained by evolution. one issue with evolution was always that the whole organ didnt develop at once, because it was a lot of advanced parts working together. but, look at the sense of hearing. It most likely started as just a highly sensitive part on the body, just a few extra nerves bundled together. and over time, it went from just feeling vibrations (probably in the water) to being a seperate, distinguished sense. organs with simple uses can evolve to do much more complex things than their original intent. And also, everybody subconsciously thinks of there being a god. but i dont stop saying "oh my god" just because i dont believe there is a god. The narrator said it was designed for something, because its easier to say.Its not like hes going to say "this part evolved over millions of years to..." because it takes longer. hahaI think it takes more faith to not believe in a greater being simply because if you believe in science you believe in multiple unknown possibilities, believe in a greater being there's only one unknown possibility. : \Everything takes faith. Knowing the sun will come up the next morning takes faith. I've always seen science as taking less faith, because we see proof of it everyday. And no matter what the subject, there will always be unknown possibilities. Even in Christianity: do you know what heaven is like? Do you know if god is going to forgive the sins you've made? A lot of these unknowns don't make too big of a difference to the big picture, but it's the same way with science. And btw, you gotta add Boobs to your nickname list ;p
Its not a matter of science vs Christianity. Its a matter of Macro-Evolution vs Creation. MAINSTREAM science is in disagreement with Creation. But think about it. What bourbon was trying to say is that with Creation, I only have to believe in one thing that doesn't make sense. With Darwin's Theory of Evolution, there are literally thousands of things that don't make sense. Charles Darwin even turned away from the Macro-Evolution theory after realizing this. Why are none of these thousands of things discussed? Because for the last 30 years or so, there has been a coordinated push to unify the teaching information in such a way that God is completely left out of the picture. If you look at this from the outside with zero bias, it pretty obvious.
Personally I don't believe in God. I don't believe he doesn't exist either. I'm pretty agnostic about religion, if he's there then he's there. If not, oh well. I would rather live MY life doing good because it makes ME feel good. Not because some book written over a thousand years ago in a language that is pretty much lost in time says I should do so.Ahaha i have to keep watching what i say too, dont wanna piss any1 off :p
I also wrote a big long thing down here but decided not to pst it. I reread it and it seemed like a bunch of flame so I'll just leave my post at this.
Although, most stories in the bible have been proven true. A lot were majorly exaggerated, like the great flood, that was most likely just a flood in the middle east, in a time when it was below sea level, and a river formed from the ocean into it. (i paraphrased alot, havent seen that history special in a long while)
The church and what were learnign in school about religion has changed recently. The church doesnt actually believe in the adam and eve and the creation story. We are learning its a just a story to show how divine and powerful God is. They are teaching us that God set everything in motion from the beginning to make us who we are today.
Just thought id let you guys in on how the church sees this now a days.
lolwhat a compelling argument :)
Nearly everything with physical proof has some sort of discrepancies. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know everything, I'm only 16, that would be stupid. But the issue with this argument is that it will never be resolved. People have been adding to and changing religion much longer than science, it's going to have sounder arguments. But look at all the times religion has been wrong: first, the church believed the earth was the center of the universe. It was later proven it wasn't. The church believed in witches, and killed innocent people because of it. I know science hasn't been right 100 percent of the time, but it's newer than religion. The first religions started as just superstitions, like eating the heart of your hunt makes you stronger. Science and religion have both changed, and neither will ever be 100 percent right, no matter if there is or isn't a god.
Google "Zeitgeist" and watch it in its entirety. Then get back to and we can talk about 'god' and the likes. I've read the bible in its entirety and I won't discuss this without my conversational counter-parts having the same information.I haven't seen the whole thing, but my older brother told me a lot about it. It brings up some pretty good points, I'm gonna watch it once I find a download
Decided to post a bit more of my beliefs:
almost everything unique that I believe is based around consciousness. My outlook on life is no different. reality is merely what you experience. To you, the only thing that truly matters is you. In your subjective reality, your consciousness is all that exists. Basically: do what makes you happy. Not what makes others happy, but what satisfies you. I'm not saying stab everyone in the back, but I'm saying don't worry about others, worry about yourself. If helping others makes you happy, then do it. If using people for personal gain makes you happy, do it. All you know is real is what you experience. The way I see it, the only person that exists is you, because you don't experience what other people do. This is one of few beliefs I have that have been influenced by another source, in this case, being microcelestialism. I feel like i need to say more about this, but it really is a very simple concept. Haha
Lmao! Like, for real? That's wierd... xD I assure you I won't kill anyone :p I'm one of those wierdos that like doing good things for random people, don't worry. Lmao
God is just a word we use to describe something our human minds couldn't possibly ever comprehend.I completely agree with the good and evil thing. Without our morals or rules, good and evil would be indistinguishable. But what do you mean about the idea of god? I know there's a lot we cannot possibly comprehend, but what particularly are you referring to?
Good and evil, though, are human inventions. . .
It might be because I'm tired as hell, so I'm having trouble getting the idea... Do you mean "god" is the reason we even exist? And without this "reason", it would be more likely that nothing would even exist? Not god as in religious views, but just as... Well, the reason? Damn, it's hard to out it into words, I get the trouble you had, lol
I laughed very hard at your sig gemma. hilarious. (the it was this deep one)
popcorn means im just sitting back and enjoying the convo
My problem with the consciousness 100000 times the size of our sun is that, if consciousness is truly just the interaction between forces and particles, not all consciousness is self aware. In fact, very, very little would be. They would work like a computer: taking in forces, spitting out the according movements and reactions. We can only think because of our brains. Unless there is a physical structure calculating and moving throughout the universe, as big as the universe, I don't believe there could be a god, in the way most people see god. And also: I know you didn't say there is a reason, but there was nothing to say about the alternative. It's always more interesting to go with the idea that requires more thinking, not ending the thoughts. Which, is why I assume all this is real. If this isn't real, if we are just a dream, or in a dream, then what else is there to wonder about? It's much better, imo, to assume this is all real. It's like a maze: why purposely head toward the dead end when there's so much more to explore?
My problem with the consciousness 100000 times the size of our sun is that, if consciousness is truly just the interaction between forces and particles, not all consciousness is self aware. In fact, very, very little would be. They would work like a computer: taking in forces, spitting out the according movements and reactions. We can only think because of our brains. Unless there is a physical structure calculating and moving throughout the universe, as big as the universe, I don't believe there could be a god, in the way most people see god. And also: I know you didn't say there is a reason, but there was nothing to say about the alternative. It's always more interesting to go with the idea that requires more thinking, not ending the thoughts. Which, is why I assume all this is real. If this isn't real, if we are just a dream, or in a dream, then what else is there to wonder about? It's much better, imo, to assume this is all real. It's like a maze: why purposely head toward the dead end when there's so much more to explore?
Well, thats not really what I was saying. I didn't mean that this isn't real, and by real, I mean physical. What I meant is that if a 'being' as small as us can move objects, what could a massive 'being' do? I didn't really mean a literal 'dream', more, a manifestation of its own will. The universe, and by 'universe' i mean 'time', expands as the giant sleeps. . . Its a fun little corner of the maze, thats all. Again, its not necessarily my opinion that this is the case, its just fun to explore the idea. Again, I won't really discuss my actual opinions until I talk with someone that has the same information that I do. Wars are fought that way, and people die for this reason.
Something I've been thinking about more than 'god' lately is 'nothing'. And by nothing, I mean the lack of 'all'.
No matter, no time, no space... Nothing. I have a small tattoo to remind me of this often, and I find myself getting even more confused 12 years after I marked myself with it.
I read this article in science magazine regarding 'anti-matter'. Steven Hawking seems to think that in the beginning there was this great collision of matter and anti-matter. I don't have a problem talking about my opinions regarding this, because it does not contend with anyone's beliefs regarding 'god':
My problem with the entire concept of 'anti matter' is that it 'isn't' at all. Its not 'something' in the sense that we think of 'things', in fact, it must be quite the opposite. Its the lack of all things. 'It', is 'nothing'. Try to imagine 'nothing' and out of nothing, comes the universe. Through a pinhole, time, matter, and 'all' comes roaring, expanding, destroying nothing in its path. But where did it come from? I think, Casper, it came from the same place its going: The center of the universe. Try to bear with me on this:
Try to imagine the universe having two parts: one expanding, one collapsing. As one expands, from the pinhole, the other is collapsing into the same pinhole. Try to imagine it looking something like an hour-glass. Its like taking a beach-ball, letting some air out, and twisting it in the middle. As you squeeze one side of it, the air moves into the other side, and visa versa. We already know that time is contingent upon gravity, which is contingent upon matter and mass. So then, what happens when the entire universe has finally been pressed through the pinhole?
Well, 'nothing' is left. Nothing has infinite time and gravity. The entire universe on the other side of the *ahem* beach-ball, is sucked back through the pinhole, and the process repeats itself. . . Forever.
This means, yes, for if only a blink of an eye, the entire universe could actually be the size of a (beach-ball?) as it is "Big Banging" outward again. Thats just fun.
I told my wife this one night and she asked me 'But Evan, what If you could stand outside of the beach-ball and watch the universe expand/contract. 'where' exactly would you be standing? After thinking about it for a long time, my answer is finally this: 'nowhere'. Moreover, IF this was possible, you wouldn't be able to 'see' the universe at all. It doesn't exist in your time. You are, in a hypothetical sense, your very own universe at that moment. You can't see through what does not exist.
Okay, assuming you're still reading, I have another fun bucket-o-popcorn: If the universe is repeating itself over and over again (and please, get the hour-glass picture out of your head now, it doesn't actually look like that)
Does it:
1. Repeat itself exactly as it did before? or
2. Change. Every time, a new and different universe.
Both are fun to explore. for option 1, its fun to think that we will exist, are existing, and have existed, an infinite number of 'times'. (this also helps explain de ja vu!)
For option 2, well, thats just one giant popcorn-ball, baby.
That's one of the most interesting thoughts I've ever heard. Although, here's another fun little twist in the maze: how can we define the edge of the universe? If space is nothingness, (I know u didn't say this, but many people do), then how can the universe have boundaries at all? Can we just not move past the edge of the universe? If space didn't have an edge, then that would mean half of the things we think about the universe can't be true. I'll have much better thoughts tommorrow, I'm too tired to think straight... Lol
Space is not 'nothing' because even in space, time passes. No matter where you are, or how far out you go, you are still under the influence of gravity
hmm... that thought broke the universe :0 if time was not moving and everything was nothing, then how would the big bang have happened? even if it took .00000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000001x10-999999999 billionth of a second, it still took time. so if time was "frozen", then how could it have happened?Space is not 'nothing' because even in space, time passes. No matter where you are, or how far out you go, you are still under the influence of gravity
Quick question... what about like the time before the big bang... when everything was probably in a state of nothing did time pass?
Just curious :)
hmm... that thought broke the universe :0 if time was not moving and everything was nothing, then how would the big bang have happened? even if it took .00000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000001x10-999999999 billionth of a second, it still took time. so if time was "frozen", then how could it have happened?Space is not 'nothing' because even in space, time passes. No matter where you are, or how far out you go, you are still under the influence of gravity
Quick question... what about like the time before the big bang... when everything was probably in a state of nothing did time pass?
Just curious :)
Damn. Just realized before the big bang, there was an infinitely small particle that was space... oopsies. lolhmm... that thought broke the universe :0 if time was not moving and everything was nothing, then how would the big bang have happened? even if it took .00000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000001x10-999999999 billionth of a second, it still took time. so if time was "frozen", then how could it have happened?Space is not 'nothing' because even in space, time passes. No matter where you are, or how far out you go, you are still under the influence of gravity
Quick question... what about like the time before the big bang... when everything was probably in a state of nothing did time pass?
Just curious :)
How can nothing turn into something?
nope... it has to begin somehow.and why is that?
I never said it has to have a beginning. It just seems more logical in my opinion.Thats just standard human thinking. We like things to be organized. We like there to be a begining, middle, and end, and to chronicle everything that happens
Space is not 'nothing' because even in space, time passes. No matter where you are, or how far out you go, you are still under the influence of gravity
Quick question... what about like the time before the big bang... when everything was probably in a state of nothing did time pass?
Just curious :)
-Gemma, out.NOES!!!! need... more... popcorn...
Thank you kind sir...
Let us get into philosophy?
Is the person I am now the same person I was last year?
Well, it doesnt really matter if your the same person, when you think about it. We are made by a combination of memories and instinct. Hell, if someone could alter our memories, they could mold us to however they like. Actually, i just had a realization. If consciousness does indeed come from interactions... then every second, we probably have a different "consciousness". our memories create the illusion that we reamin exactly the same, when we are actually changing constantly.Thank you kind sir...
Let us get into philosophy?
Is the person I am now the same person I was last year?
technically, not completely. I forget the actual statistic, but its something like every 4 years, every single cell in your body has been destroyed, and subsequently replaced with a new one.. Although, I'm not really into this kind of thinking.. I'm more of the 'all my mistakes and scars make me what I am' kinda guy. . .
The you who you will die as, is the only you who ever was.
even though you have a different consciousness aren't you still yourself?Your memories create the illusion of constant consciousness. Your mind could have been just placed into your body, but if your memories are those of your body, then you would think you always occupied your body
I remember hearing someone say.QuoteThe you who you will die as, is the only you who ever was.
Personally, i believe in darwinism. God is only something that the human mind has created. Dont jump all over me though, i believe that there is some sort of higher being, some stuff just cant be explained by science. But i also believe that the big-bang isnt the best theory out there. Another thought, if it doesnt make sense for the universe to be created from absolutely nothing, then how does it make sense that God just happens to be here to make a planet? Shouldnt something have happened to make Him?
Personally, i believe in darwinism. God is only something that the human mind has created. Dont jump all over me though, i believe that there is some sort of higher being, some stuff just cant be explained by science. But i also believe that the big-bang isnt the best theory out there. Another thought, if it doesnt make sense for the universe to be created from absolutely nothing, then how does it make sense that God just happens to be here to make a planet? Shouldnt something have happened to make Him?
Darwin believed in God, and discredited his own theory. :)
Frankly, the bible shouldn't be interpreted by 'normal' people at all, since it was transcribed from hebrew and arabic, to latin, and subsequently butchered by the roman catholic church, only to end up on our plates some 1200 years later for 'normal' people to derive 'facts' regarding its passages, which, ironically have more to do with his disciples than he himself?
Ok, so i got pretty much shredded up there. Lol i need more facts on this subject to really make a good opinion since im a little ignorant, dont i? Haha ok, im fine with that :P
Ok, so i got pretty much shredded up there. Lol i need more facts on this subject to really make a good opinion since im a little ignorant, dont i? Haha ok, im fine with that :P
Don't worry about it, this thread is kinda a dead-horse anyways. I'm still dusting my feathers from pyrite's onslaught..
Does anyone believe in fate here? I just firmly established my ideas on it, if anyone is interested. It's not a total mind**** or anything, it's just sort of a neat thought.
Well, ive got a jackhammer :PDoes anyone believe in fate here? I just firmly established my ideas on it, if anyone is interested. It's not a total mind**** or anything, it's just sort of a neat thought.
Never set your ideas in stone. Its too hard to break when needed.
The thought I've always had is that it should be easier to believe in god. I'm a good person: I don't cheat, steal, hurt people, and I even try to hold back on things like sex. (for personal reasons, none religious) I am just the type of person that always needs to see proof of something. It's how I've always been. I've just always been annoyed, even offended at times, by people that day I'll burn in hell because of that. They seem to always look down on me because I can't follow something I don't believe. I've been raised Christian, and several times, prayed for help during difficult times. It was when I was younger, and hadn't really thought for myself very much. Things never got better. I had to work and work to make things even slightly better. I completely respect all religions that encourage courtesy and kindness, they are a great thing to be a part of. However, this respect is partly keeping me away from church. I'd feel guilty, in a way.
Poe's wacky views are her own and not necessarily those of any other SnK. Thank you.
Poe, I've seen so much evidence that it would actually take MORE faith for me to believe that there is no God and that we all evolved from nothing than to believe that God is real, that he cares for me, and that he created life as we know it.
Granted, everyone has had their own experiences, but there was a period in my life where I literally dedicated years to examining the scientific aspects of this issue. Macro evolution simply does not exist. Every recent scientific discovery in favor of the Darwinian theory has been either been manipulated after the fact or has been "discovered" using highly unreliable methods (radio-carbon dating anyone?). And the scientific aspect doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of reality! The spiritual side of things is quite incredible in it of itself.
Until someone proves aliens are real then I stop believeing any christian beliefs because why would jesus look like us if their are other lifeforms, its just racistactually, if aliens were proven to exist, I wouldn't have any chance of ever believing in god. That is, unless they believe the exact same things 0.0 lol